Ritzaus Bureau takes over Scanpix

Nov 24, 2017

Thursday 23 November, The Danish media group Berlingske Media has signed an agreement on the sale of Scanpix to the Danish news agency Ritzaus Bureau A/S. Ritzaus Bureau takes over all Scanpix employees, all agreements with customers and cooperation agreements with suppliers as well as Scanpix’ proprietary and unique image system. The transfer of Scanpix takes place with effect from 1 January 2018.

In April, Ritzaus Bureau acquired the photo agency, Polfoto, from the media group JP/Politikens Hus, and, with the acquisition of Scanpix, Ritzaus Bureau is now strengthening its position as the media news agency, delivering text, sound and image in the formats demanded by the media.

“For Ritzaus Bureau, the agency business is the core business, and in a news service, text and images are two sides of the same coin. The transfer will strengthen the image coverage – and with a strong focus on customer needs, it will give us better opportunities for finding new ways and solutions that create value,” says Lars Vesterløkke, CEO and Editor in Chief.

“The acquisition allows us to develop and strengthen the image supply to anyone who needs professional news and archive photos. We want to increase the selection and improve accessibility,” says Lars Vesterløkke.

After the divestment of Scanpix, Berlingske Media continues as one of Scanpix’ largest and most important customers.

“We have been very glad to have Scanpix in our portfolio for many years, and we are a bit sad of the fact that Scanpix is no longer to be a part of Berlingske Media. For a long period, we have been in dialogue with Ritzaus Bureau about the possibility of establishing a strong Danish image agency. By now transferring ownership to Ritzaus Bureau, we fulfill this wish and help create a strong image agency that can continue to deliver a deep and wide product range,” says Berlingske Media’s CFO, Dennis Kilian.

Director of the new agency, which will be called Ritzau Scanpix, will be the current Scanpix director Kris Kjær Nielsen.

The parties have agreed not to publish the terms of the transfer.

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Scanpix: Scanpix is Denmark’s leading image agency. Scanpix produces, distributes and sells images and works closely with affiliates in Sweden and Norway, and with Reuters and AFP and EPA.

Berlingske Media: Berlingske Media operates i.a. Berlingske, BT, Metroxpress, Weekendavisen, Radio24syv and a number of digital activities. The company’s history dates back to 1749, where the predecessor of Berlingske, Kjøbenhavnske Danske Post-Tidender was started to deliver news to the Danish population.